TOADY 2010 Award

This past February, the Toy Industry Association gathered to present their TOTY (Toy Of The Year) Awards. In honor of the industry that has led the way in commercializing childhood, CCFC will present its TOADY (Toys Oppressive And Destructive to Young Children) Award for the worst toy of the year. From thousands of toys that promote violence and/or precocious sexuality to children and push branded entertainment at the expense of children’s play, CCFC has selected five exceptional finalists. Who will win the dreaded TOADY? It’s up to you.

Please read the descriptions below and vote! Voting is open until May 10, 2010 and the winner will be announced on May 12, 2010. All voters who include their email address will automatically enter a drawing to win their choice of one of four decidedly unTOADYish toys.

AddictingGames.comPrice: Free! Recommended Age: None, but marketed to preschoolersThe games at Nickelodeon’s AddictingGames.com have it all: Lechery (the Perry the Sneak series, where gamers take the role of a peeping Tom trying to catch revealing glimpses of scantily clad women); gratuitous violence (Bloody Day, where "back alley butchering has never been so much fun”); and even animal cruelty (Kitty Cannon, where you can “make Fluffy bloody” by shooting a kitten out of a cannon onto row of metal spikes). But it’s not the exciting content that makes Addicting Games so TOADYish; It’s Nick’s decision to promote – and link to – the site on every page of its websites for preschoolers like NickJr.com and Neopets. So the next time you see Dora the Explorer smiling sweetly on your child’s computer, remember that stalking, murder, and torturing animals is only a click away!

The economic downturn has put a crimp in the makeover market for young girls; even Club Libby Lu – Sak’s chain of salons for girls as young as two – has closed its doors. So how’s a young girl supposed to keep her nails looking perfect – without breaking the family budget? Never fear, Barbie’s here! At the low, low price of $ 279.99, the BARBIE® DOLL'D UP NAILS™ Digital Nail Printer pays for itself in as little as 15 manicures. Recommended for girls as young as eight, the BARBIE Digital Nail Printer helps them “get all glammed up” with “a custom manicure perfect for any occasion.” Because, as we all know, second grade is all about “occasions.”

Are you worried that your three-year-old is too active? Little Tikes has the solution for you. For only $2,599 – that’s right, $2,599 – you can unleash your child’s inner Dilbert with the Little Tikes Young Explorer workstation, complete with an IBM computer. The Young Explorer’s cubicle design keeps tots’ eyes glued firmly on the 19-inch flat screen monitor by eliminating pesky distractions, like the outside world. Little Tikes markets its cubicle to daycare centers as “a hallmark way to set you apart from other childcare facilities.” You know – those passé facilities where kids are running around and having fun!

You already own the most popular videogame franchise of all time, with hundreds of millions of dollars in sales. Want to increase profits even more? Market your game to young children! But wait—you can’t target them directly because your games are rated Mature (for seventeen and up) for blood, gore, and violence. So take a page out of the film industry’s playbook and use toys to hook ‘em early and often:

Introducing TOADY nominee, The Halo United Nations Space Command Turret—a rotating, stationary assault weapon with four cannons. This 54-piece play set for kids as young as eight even comes with three UNSC Spartans “equipped with cool weapons” – so cool that kids will be itching to play those Mature-rated Halo videogames in no time!

EyeClops Mini ProjectorRetails for: $63.99Recommended Age: 8+

Is there any greater threat to screen time than summer? All those picnics, trips to the beach, and playing outside until the sun goes down. Well now, thanks to JAKKS Pacific, the whole world is a screen! The portable EyeClops Mini Projector allows kids to project movies, TV shows, and video games anywhere they want up to 60 inches in size. You can even, JAKKS Pacific boasts, “route your cable or satellite box through the Mini Projector and watch the big game outside while you BBQ!” But why stop there? Take it to the beach – and project the Little Mermaid on that sandcastle the others kids built. Take it to the park – and play baseball videogames projected on the little league backstop. The possibilities are endless . . .